NFL Draft 2017: Ranking the top 10 cornerbacks

This is the best cornerback class in a long time, with as many as a dozen players landing first-round grades from teams this season.

Before we get to this list of the top 10 players at the position in this class, three players didn't make this list who aren't far behind, at all — Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis, Iowa's Desmond King, whom I project as a safety, and USC's Adoree Jackson, whom I see as a slot-only corner.

All three are incredibly talented and it would be shocking if any were available in the third round.

Others who just missed the cut are three of my sleepers: Washington's Kevin King, Colorado's Chidobe Awuzie, and Houston's Howard Wilson; all three are players I think could make an immediate impact at the NFL level.

That's how talented this class is — the just-missed players could make an impact in 2017.

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10

Cordea Tankersley - Clemson

He's big, strong, and productive. If he looks good before the draft, teams are going to forget that he's a bit stiff and seems to play with heavy shoes at times.

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9

Cam Sutton - Tennessee

A strong Senior Bowl performance did Sutton's draft stock well. Teams and scouts were impressed with his ability to play outside, in the slot and even a bit of safety without missing a beat at any of the positions.

It takes a lot of talent to do that, and Sutton, whose 2016 season at Tennessee was marred by injury, could prove to be a safe bet in a loaded class. He might not be a lock-down corner, but he can help your team win.

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8

Marlon Humphrey - Alabama

I'm down on Humphrey compared to my peers because I cannot get over how poor he looks on deep routes, and I don't know how he'll correct that at the next level (he allowed 16.8 yards per catch in 2016, an improvement on 2015) unless he switches to safety.

Teams will like his size and tenacity — he's a great corner 10 yards from the line of scrimmage — but he'll need to make a dramatic change to reach his potential as a corner in the NFL.

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7

Rasul Douglas - West Virginia

Here's your boom-or-bust candidate. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, teams are going to fall for him at the combine, particularly if he runs the 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds.

The downside on Douglas is that he's not good in man coverage (not a problem for some teams) and he had an eye-popping spike in production (eight interceptions in 2016). But some team is going to fall for him in the first round, and we're going to see which of the two — boom or bust — it is.

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6

Tre'Davious White - LSU

He's not going to knock you off your route or help you out much in run defense, but put him on a receiver and that wideout will be shadowed all game. You can't get free from White and for teams that run base nickel sets, he'll be an immediate asset.

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5

Gareon Conley - Ohio State

Conley has everything you could ask for in a cornerback — he's fast, he's big, and he can play in all sorts of coverages. He hasn't reached his full potential yet — he probably hasn't even come close — and that potential could have him as the best corner in this draft.

In the meantime, he should get plenty of first-day looks and will likely see plenty of snaps in his first year in the NFL.

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4

Quincy Wilson - Florida

He's big, smart and polished. Wilson might not strike you as the most athletic cornerback you've ever seen, but the Florida product makes the play.

Wilson won't be a lock-down cornerback in the NFL, but he will be a versatile and reliable starter who can stay on the field in all situations. Put him opposite a lock-down corner or in the slot and he'll soon be one of the best players at CB2 or 3.

And if that doesn't work, his projection at safety (I'd have him third in that position group) is a great fall-back.

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3

Sidney Jones - Washington

Jones has everything you're looking for in a lock-down cornerback except another 10 to 15 pounds on his frame. He's got the height, the incredible athletic ability, the smarts, and the work ethic to be an immediate CB1 in the league.

If he can add that extra weight, he has All-Pro written all over him.

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2

Marshon Lattimore - Ohio State

Lattimore has it all and that has many thinking he could be an All-Pro player early in his career. He has incredible polish for a player who has played little more than one year of college football. That's the biggest concern about Lattimore — was he tested in his redshirt sophomore year at Ohio State? He looks amazing on film, but the tape can lie.

Another issue is his hamstrings; he had surgery on them his freshman year at Ohio State. That could scare away some teams — the last thing a cornerback needs is bad hammys.

But even with those concerns, Lattimore will likely be the top cornerback taken in this draft, and there's no one who will argue with that pick, even if it comes in the first few moments of the draft.

Joshua Gateley

1

Teez Tabor - Florida

Tabor was my top cornerback coming into the 2016 college football season and while he was hardly a revelation in his most recent campaign, he didn't do anything on the field to warrant sliding off that spot (even with the rise of Lattimore).

No cornerback in this class can boast the incredible athleticism of Tabor, who, frankly, hot dogged his way through Florida.

But when Tabor wasn't coasting on his ability and engaged in the play, he was nearly unbeatable.

It's all about him flipping that switch.

There will be teams who won't draft Tabor on character concerns, and that is more than viable. But if he can find the right team and coach, no cornerback has a higher ceiling in this class — not Jones, not Lattimore, not Coley — and it's not even close.